IEPA tries to control landfill gas leak

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency said today it will install a system to contain underground methane at a former landfill in Crystal Lake.

Elevated methane readings were discovered earlier this month in soil tested near the landfill's location on Sands Road.

No methane problems were found in six homes closest to the place where elevated methane was reported, officials said.

The IEPA plans to install a system to stop the movement of the gas by the end of the year.

Buried garbage, paper and other organic materials in landfills are typically broken down by bacteria, which produce methane gas as a byproduct. This methane is the same as the "natural gas" provided by utilities for cooking and heating.

The gas is normally vented from landfills. In some cases, the gases collect underground and can migrate off site.